


Out of time

by Glowsquid



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Explosions, Gen, Hunk (Voltron) Whump, Hunk (Voltron)-centric, Hunk Month 2019, Hunk is a protective boi god bless him, Hurt/Comfort, Mission Fic, Recovery, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 03:40:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17541983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glowsquid/pseuds/Glowsquid
Summary: While protecting a prisoner of war, Hunk has a split second decision to make. The consequences are almost fatal.





	Out of time

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to post this a week ago what the hell. In my defense, I went to a P!atd concert that day and started college the next so I was a wee bit distracted. Yeah, let's go with that. This is for day 20 of Hunk Month: Armor/Protector. Alternative title: He protec, he attac, but most important, he need snac

“Hurry, Hunk. This thing has 4 minutes, tops. You need to get out of there.”

“I know, I know,” Hunk panted as he raced down the hallway. This prison was set to blow in just a few more minutes. He had to get out. Fast. He checked the scanner on his wrist one more time. He was pretty sure every last prisoner was out and on their way to safety by now, but he needed to double check. 

Oh, shit. 

“Pidge, wait,” he said over the comms, “There’s someone else here. Just one more biosignature, fuck, I don’t know how I missed it.” 

He heard Pidge whisper a curse on the other end of the line. “Hunk, you don’t have time. This building is coming down in three minutes, I can’t stop it. You have to-”

“I’m getting them out,” he said as he made a hard right, following the blip on his wrist scanner. They weren’t too far out of his way. If he really hurried, he could get them both out safely. 

“Okay, but _hurry_.” 

“I know,” he said again, and he really did. He was all to aware that he literally did not have a moment to waste. Any slight delay could mean the death of him and this prisoner. And that was unacceptable. He picked up the pace even as his chest burned from exertion. He had been running for so long, but he couldn’t stop yet. 

Finally, he skidded to a halt outside a single cell door. He quickly pulled a small device off his belt that Pidge had programmed with a master code to open everything in the facility, fumbling in his haste. Within seconds, the door was open. 

There was a single child inside. A girl, or so he thought. Alien sexual dimorphism and gender spectrums made it difficult to tell for sure. She was huddled against the wall, staring up at Hunk with wide eyes filled with terror. 

“Hi, I’m Hunk,” he said, trying to make his voice as calming as possible. He didn’t want to frighten her, no matter how much of a time crunch he was under. “We need to get out of here now, I’m here to help you, okay?”

She didn’t say anything, apparently too scared to speak. Hunk wanted to be slow, and gentle, and take all the time to reassure her that everything was going to be alright, that he wouldn't’t hurt her and that she was safe. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that luxury. 

“Hunk, a minute forty-five.” Pidge reminded him in an urgent voice. 

“Okay, I understand you’re scared but we will both die if we stay here much longer. I’m going to carry you out.” That was all the warning he gave before he rushed forward, lifting her under her arms and holding her close. She resisted, but he was stronger than her. With her safely (if awkwardly) in his arms he left her cell behind, tearing down the hallway towards the exit as fast as he could go. 

“Hunk, you have one minute left. Are you out yet?” 

Hunk was breathing too hard to waste words. “No, almost.”

“Hurry. Fifty seconds.”

He poured all his remaining strength into his legs, surging ahead against time, desperately trying to reach the exit. 

“Thirty seconds.” The panic in Pidge’s voice was clear. If he let it, it would take over him too. No choice but to keep going.

“Hunk, please tell me you’re out of there, you have 10 seconds left.”

“Negative, still here.”

The doors weren’t even in sight. 

_Faster, faster. Come on._

“Five seconds!”

He had to do this. He was so close, he could do this. He could save her. He couldn’t let her die. 

He felt the explosion before he heard it, beginning deep in the depths of the compound, making the floor vibrate under his feet. Pidge’s voice was still in his ear, screaming his name.

 _Then_ he heard it. The low rumble, building and crescendoing until it drowned out all other sound. 

He was out of time now. He had failed. 

But he would be damned if he was going to make this child suffer for his mistakes. 

Frantically, he set her down, pushing her down until she was lying against the ground. He lowered himself over, curling around her body and covering her head with his hands.

“I'm sorry, Pidge,” he said into his comm, and then the world lost all meaning in a roar of flame and smoke and shrapnel.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
The next thing he knew was cold and a view of foggy blue glass. _A healing pod,_ he thought. 

Then, a hissing noise and he was lurching forward out of the healing pod into Allura's arms. He was almost surprised when she caught him easily. It was easy to forget her immense strength, as slender as she was. 

She helped him steady himself, gazing at him, her jewel-bright eyes melting with concern. Looking past her, he could see the others all there. They must have been waiting for him to come out of the pod. 

Come out from what?

The explosion. The prison facility. Right, that was the last thing he remembered. He was running and trying to escape but he didn't make it out, it was just him and…

and the girl.

“Where is she?” His voice was croaky from being in the pod for so long, but he didn't care. “Is she alive?” 

The faces if his friends went from concern to confusion in a split second. 

“I'm sorry, who?” Allura asked.

Hunk pulled away from her arms, swaying on his feet even as he moved to stand on his own. 

“The girl! There was a girl in there I was trying to get her out-”

“Oh! Yes, she's fine.” 

He glared at Allura. “Is she alive? Did she make it out?” 

“She did, Hunk,” Shiro explained. “We put her on oxygen for a while to clear the smoke out of her lungs and she spent a few hours in a pod, but she recovered completely, thanks to you.”

He still didn't feel okay with this. How could he be sure she was really alright?

“Where is she, though? Is she here? Can she walk? What happened to-”

“Breathe, Hunk,” Coran reminded him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We were able to reunite her with her people. She's with them on a refugee outpost in the Outer Ta'ans. She made a full recovery and she's going to be alright.”

“She said she wished she could have said goodbye to you before she left,” Pidge added meekly. “She wanted to say thank you. I promised to tell you for her.” 

“You saved her, Hunk,” Lance reassured him. 

Oh. Okay.

Good.

Relief crashed over him and for the first time he allowed himself to feel the effects of the pod on his system. 

“How long was I in the pod for?”

“Two movements.”

Wow. That was longer than he'd ever been in for.

“What exactly happened to me?”

Coran spoke up. “Well, your lungs were safe from smoke inhalation; your helmet was able to filter out the worst of the fumes. But you suffered significant burn damage to your back and legs as well as lacerations under your 10th rib. But the pod indicated everything should be healed quite completely.”

“You're probably going to have hella scars, dude,” Lance said, the attempt at humor falling flat over the crack in his voice.”It was… it was really bad.”

He looked into the faces of his friends and saw the worry and concern in their eyes. If his injuries were as severe as they described, well…

he was lucky he made it out alive at all. It was rough waiting for someone to get out if a pod with so much as a broken ankle. They must have been terrified for him.

“I'm alright, guys, I promise.” He held out his arms slightly for a hug, and the first to respond was Pidge, who practically threw herself at him. He hugged her tight, lifting her feet off the floor so little in his enthusiasm. Lance was next, ungracefully wrapping his arms around the both of them, leaving Pidge sandwiched in between. He felt Shiro's hand on his back, rubbing gently, and over Lance's shoulder, he saw Keith. Keith was a little shy about physical affection yet, but he Hunk could tell he was pleased by the way his smile reached his eyes. He would get to Keith later. 

They stayed like that for a while, in a relieved pile of hugs. 

But coming out of a pod after a long time was not the best feeling in the world, and Hunk still felt weak and chilled and a little bit dizzy. And hungry. Really hungry. He felt bad breaking up the group hug, but he had more pressing problems. 

“Is there any food goo?”

His friends peeled off him one by one, laughing a little in bemusement, but they walked by his side as he made his way to the kitchen - and recovery.


End file.
